The combining form arteri/o refers to which structure?

• A. Artery
• B. Vein
• C. Nerve
• D. Muscle

Answer: (A)

Arteri/o names a structure, specifically the artery. An artery is the blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart. This combining form is used to build many medical terms about arteries, such as arteriogram or arteriosclerosis, by attaching different suffixes. In contrast, ven/o refers to a vein, neur/o to a nerve, and my/o (or muscul/o) to a muscle. A helpful nuance is that, while arteries generally carry oxygenated blood to tissues, the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs, illustrating how terminology mirrors anatomy.